Mechanism for manual propulsion of small water-craft



B. L. FAIRFAX June 12, 1962 MECHANSM FOR MANUAL PROPULSION OF SMALLWATER-CRAFT Fiied oct. 1o, 1960 2 sheets-sheet 1 FIG. 3.

INVENTO'R BRADFORD LINDSAY FAIRFAX ATTORNEYS.

June 12, 1962 B. L.. FAIRFAX '3,038,435

MECHANISM FOR MANUAL PRoPULsIoN oF SMALL WATER-CRAFT Filed oct. 1o, 19602 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR BRADFORD LINDSAY FAIRFAX ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Oiice 3,038,435 Patented .lune 12, 1962 3,038,435MECHANHSM FOR MANUAL PRGPULSHN F SMALL WATER-CRAFT Bradford LindsayFairfax, Watsonville, Calif. Filed (1ct. 10, 1960, Ser. No. 61,536 6Claims. (Cl. 11S-21) The present invention relates to improvements inmechanisms Ifor the manual propulsion of small watercraft such asrowboats, dinghies, canoes, punts, life-boats and the like.

The broad concept of propelling small water-craft by operating an oarover the stern of such water-craft although dating back several hundredyears is still in vogue in many locales. During the last `centuryvarious mechanisms have been devised for attachment to the stern ofboats to assist an operator or sculler in the manipulation of thepropelling oar, but for one reason or another such mechanisms lhave notmet with popular acceptance because they were cumbersome, complicated,costly and/or not portable, i.e., readily adaptable for attachment andremoval from the water-craft. Furthermore, in many localities regionallaws and ordinances prohibit the use of motor driven water-craft onlakes and ponds, wherefore interest is being revived in scullingmechanisms by local fishermen and small water-craft enthusiasts.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a manuallyoperable propelling mechanism for water-craft which mechanism is simplein construction, operation and eihcient in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a propelling mechanismof the type set forth which is portable, of light weight andparticularly suitable for auxiliary use on small sail boats and on motorboats `which have become disabled due to lack of fuel, motor failure,propeller damage, etc.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of thecharacter specified, so constructed as to facilitate using the blade asa rudder and -for holding the oar in retracted position out of the waterwhen beaching the boat.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, not specificallyenumerated, I accomplish by providing a device of the character setforth which comprises a pair of meshing `gears having axes substantiallyperpendicular t-o each other, mean associated with said gears foroscillating them and in turn operating a blade supported along one edgethereof and dependently pivotally carried by a blade support which inturn is movable laterally relative to the stern of the boat by `one ofthe gears. The construction and modus operandi of the present inventionwill be better understood from the detailed description which followswhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings showing apreferred construction and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the stern of a boat or water-craft showingthe invention applied thereto.

FIG. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 2 2 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the stern of the watercraft shown in FIG.1.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character indicates awater-craft having at its stern an end wall 11 over which the manualpropulsion mechanism of the present invention is mounted. The propulsionmechanism comprises essentially a pair of meshing mitre gears 12 and 13,the gear 13 having a -depending blade support 14 which pivotallysupports a blade holder 15 having a double feather-edged blade or paddle16.

The mitre gears 12 and 13 are mounted on xed shafts 17 and 18respectively disposed perpendicularly to each other and extendingoutwardly from the base 19a and arm 19b respectively of an invertedU-shaped clamp 19 which is removably secured over the stern end wall 11by a clamping screw 20 threaded through an arm 19a of the U-shapedclamp.

The outer end of the screw 20 is formed with an operating handle 21having an opening 22 therethrough and the inner end of said screw isprovided with a swivelly mounted bearing ring 23. The inner face of thearm 19b of the Iclamp is formed with bearing portions 24.

The gear 12 is rotatably held on the shaft 17 by a nut 25 and the hubo-f said gear is formed with diametrically opposed at faces 26 yoverwhich is pivotally mounted a clevis 27 having a socket member 28 forremovably accommodating an operating staff 29 for oscillating said gear12. The socket member adjacent its outer end has a downwardly projectinglug 28a. The gear 13 is rotatably held on the shaft 13 by a nut 30 andthe hub of said gear is formed with a radial upwardly extending socketmember 31 for removably accommodating the staff 29.

The blade support 14 consists of a stem 14a which extends downwardlylfrom the hub `of the gear 13, diametrically opposite to the socketmember 31 and terminates at its lower end in a transverse elongate,diamond or elliptical shaped plate 14h, provided at. its lower faceadjacent the ends of its major dimension with depending lugs 14C. Theplate lrib is formed Iwith a bearing 14d through which extends upwardlya stud 15a on the plate holder 15, a securing nut 32 serving to hold theblade holder 15 in pivotal assembled relation on the blade support 14.

The blade holder 15 consists of a supporting arm 15b in axial alignmentwith the stud 15a and laterally extending `from said arm at the topthereof is an elongate socket member 15C which terminates at its freeend in a headed stud 15d. Depending from the lateral walls of the socketmember 15 is a pair of spaced lingers 15e and extending laterally fromthe arm 15b adjacent its lower end is a pair of laterally spaced lingers1.5L the socket member 15a` together with the pairs of fingers 15e and15jc serving to secure the blade 16 in the blade holder 15 through theaid of fastening elements 16a and 1Gb passing through holes in thefingers 15e and 151.

In use the propulsion mechanism is mounted on the stern end wall of awater-craft by securing the inverted U-shaped bracket thereon with theshaft 17 extending vertically upward and the shaft 19 extendinghorizontally. The staff 29 is selectively inserted into either of thesocket members 30 or 31 depending upon whether the watercraft is to bepropelled by an operator from a seating or standing position, Byoscillating the staff the gears 12 and 13 will be oscillated and withthem the blade support, the blade holder and the blade carried therebyin an arc up to approximately to either side of the boat about the axisof the gear 13. The blade holder and the blade being movable as a unitabout the pivot stud 15a, it may be said that the blade will pivot aboutone lateral edge thereof and as the blade is laterally forced throughthe water, the friction of the Water 4will operate to pivot the bladeuntil a side Wall of the socket member 15C strikes one of the lugs 14Cin which position the blade will remain until moved in the oppositedirection Where again the friction of the lwater vwill turn the blade inthe opposite direction about its pivotal mounting. It will thus beappreciated that the operating staff can be ernployed to propel a boatfrom all positions or angles from 0 horizontal to 90 vertical, thusallowing the `operator to scull while facing in any direction, onehanded yor two handed and while either sitting or standing. The lug 28amay be engaged over the stern wall of the boat to lock the gear teethand hold the blade in retracted position 3 as shown in phantom in FIG.3, as when beaching the boat or landing it at a dock in shallow water.

The mechanism may also be used to function as a steering oar when a boatis being propelled by sail. To accomplish this a tiller line '33 islooped around the neck of the headed stud d, guided through ring bolts34- or the like aixed to the top of the stern end wall and the ends ofthe tiller line passed through the opening 22 in the operating handle ofthe U-shaped clamp, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. With lche tiller linepulled taut, as shown in FIG. l, any movement of the staif causes thepaddle to turn on a steering radius with the stud 15d as a center. Asone side portion of the tiller line would always be under tension andthe other portion idle, compensation is taken up automatically by thelatter. On slacking off the tiller line the paddle is restored tosculling or propelling position.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment ofthe invention it is to be understood that changes in the specificconstruction and arrangement of parts disclosed may be resorted towithin the range 0f mechanical skill Without departing from the spiritoi the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A propelling mechanism for mounting at the stern of a water-craft,comprising a pair of meshing gears having axes substantiallyperpendicular to each other, means associated with said gears foroscillating them, a blade support carried by and movable in a planesubstantially parallel to the stern of the watercraft by one of thegears and a lblade supported by and dependingly pivotally carried bysaid blade support.

2. A propelling mechanism for mounting at the stern of a water-craft,comprising a pair of meshing bevel gears, means associated with said`gears `for oscillating them, one of said `gears having a horizontalaxis, a blade support movable with said last recited gear, a bladeholder sup-y porting a blade along one edge thereof dependingly carriedby said blade support and means for accommodating a tiller line `wherebythe blade may be made to function as a rudder.

3. A propelling mechanism Ifor mounting at the stern of a water-craft,comprising a pair of meshing gears having axes disposed horizontally andvertically with respect i to each other, means associated with saidgears for oscillating them about their axes, a blade movable with saidgear 'having the horizontal axis and oscillatable through an arc up toapproximately and means for locking the gears to hold the blade insubstantially horizontal retracted position above the water line of thewater-craft.

4. A propelling mechanism Ifor water-craft comprising, an invertedU-shaped clamp for detachable mounting at the stern of such Water-craft,said clamp having a pair of perpendicularly disposed shafts extendingoutwardly -frorn the base and one arm of the U respectively, a pair ofmeshing gears mounted on said shafts, meansassociated with each of saidgears for selectively accommodating a staff for oscillating the gears, ablade support carried by and movable with the gear mounted on the shaftextending outwardly from the arm of the U, and a blade dependinglysupported and pivotally carried by the blade support.

5. A propelling mechanism for water-craft comprising, an invertedU-shaped clamp for detachable mounting at the stern of such water-craft,said clamp having a pair of per-pendieularly disposed shafts extendingoutwardly from the base and one arm of the U respectively, a pair ofmeshing gears mounted on said shafts, a socket member associated witheach of said gears for selectively accommodating a staff for oscillatingthe gears, the socket member associated with the gear mounted on theshaft extending from the base of the U being carried by a clevis whichengages the hub of said gear to permit oscillating said gear by a stairengaged in said socket when disposed in any position between horizontaland vertical.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the socket member on theclevis has a downwardly extending projection adapted to engage the rearof the stern of a water-craft to lock the gears against movement.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 54,481Allen May 8, 1866 227,491 Coulter May 11, 1880 464,408 Williams Dec. 1,1891 1,003,516 Sax Sept. 19, 1911 2,062,546 Wells Dec. l, 1936

